editorNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94NPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Robert SiegelFri, 09 Dec 2016 00:25:26 +0000Robert Siegelhttp://wcbe.org
Robert SiegelNext month, there's a world chess championship match in New York City, and the two competitors, the assembled grandmasters, the budding chess prodigies, the older chess fans — everyone paying attention — will know this indisputable fact: A computer could win the match hands down.They've known as much for almost 20 years — ever since May 11, 1997. On that day, IBM's Deep Blue defeated the great Garry Kasparov who, after an early blunder, resigned in defeat."I am ashamed by what I did at the end of this match. But so be it," Kasparov said. "I feel confident that machine hasn't proved anything yet."Kasparov's confidence proved unjustified. In the years since, computers have built on Deep Blue's 1997 breakthrough to the point where the battle between humans and machines is not even close. Even chess grandmasters like author and columnist Andrew Soltis know this to be true."Right now, there's just no competition," Soltis says. "The computers are just much too good."And as it turns out, some20 Years Later, Humans Still No Match For Computers On The Chessboard http://wcbe.org/post/20-years-later-humans-still-no-match-computers-chessboard
98925 as http://wcbe.orgMon, 24 Oct 2016 21:36:00 +000020 Years Later, Humans Still No Match For Computers On The Chessboard Robert SiegelThroughout the last academic year, we've followed a group of students who graduated from high school a few years ago in Montgomery County, Md., just outside Washington, D.C. We spent the last year talking with them about their choice of public, private or community college. Was the cost worth it? What is the value of higher education?It turns out they're all satisfied customers. And among the most important subjects they report learning a lot about was themselves. Reconciling their plans and dreams with real life. Copyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.College Graduates Weigh In On The Value Of Higher Education http://wcbe.org/post/college-graduates-weigh-value-higher-education
96755 as http://wcbe.orgThu, 01 Sep 2016 20:28:00 +0000College Graduates Weigh In On The Value Of Higher Education Robert SiegelCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit NPR.Federal Appeals Court Throws Out North Carolina's Voter ID Lawhttp://wcbe.org/post/federal-appeals-court-throws-out-north-carolinas-voter-id-law
95207 as http://wcbe.orgFri, 29 Jul 2016 19:59:00 +0000Federal Appeals Court Throws Out North Carolina's Voter ID LawRobert SiegelCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.The Last Time Cleveland Hosted The GOP Conventionhttp://wcbe.org/post/last-time-cleveland-hosted-gop-convention
94640 as http://wcbe.orgTue, 19 Jul 2016 16:08:00 +0000The Last Time Cleveland Hosted The GOP ConventionRobert SiegelI was in Luxembourg recently, in advance of the British referendum on leaving the European Union, and received a tour, a history lesson and practically a sermon on the merits of the European Union by Heinz-Hermann Elting.Elting is a German-born resident of Luxembourg City. He's retired now and rides his bicycle around the city when he isn't caring for his sheep — that's singular "sheep." He used to work for the European Parliament, a movable legislative feast that spends a part of the year in Luxembourg.His fervor for European integration is passionate and his knowledge of its institutions is encyclopedic. So when I observed that the United Kingdom would be the first country to leave the European Union, he corrected me."Great Britain is not the first case," he said.So who was?Greenland.Here's the story. Greenlanders didn't want to join the European Economic Community, as the EU's forerunner was called.But Greenland was part of Denmark, and the Danes outvoted them in 1973 and joined theBritain Won't Be The First To Leave A United Europe. Guess Who Was?http://wcbe.org/post/britain-wont-be-first-leave-united-europe-guess-who-was
93656 as http://wcbe.orgTue, 28 Jun 2016 20:38:00 +0000Britain Won't Be The First To Leave A United Europe. Guess Who Was?Robert SiegelCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.Polls Close In The U.K. After Day Of Voting On Brexit Referendumhttp://wcbe.org/post/polls-close-uk-after-day-voting-brexit-referendum
93443 as http://wcbe.orgThu, 23 Jun 2016 23:57:00 +0000Polls Close In The U.K. After Day Of Voting On Brexit ReferendumRobert SiegelCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.United Kingdom Voters Go To The Polls In Brexit Votehttp://wcbe.org/post/united-kingdom-voters-go-polls-brexit-vote
93434 as http://wcbe.orgThu, 23 Jun 2016 20:55:00 +0000United Kingdom Voters Go To The Polls In Brexit VoteRobert SiegelGreat Britain will vote Thursday on whether to remain in the European Union or to leave it, to exit — hence the name for the vote: "Brexit."Ever since the United Kingdom joined the European Union's precursor, the Common Market, in 1973, it has been a rocky relationship. So before going to Britain, I visited a country where the relationship with the EU is anything but rocky, to see how the EU works at its best — and whether it might ever work that well for the United Kingdom.I went to Luxembourg, the country with the highest per capita income of all 28 EU member states. Luxembourg city is home to several EU institutions, as well as a big international financial sector.The country is about the size of Rhode Island, with a population of 543,000. In the EU, only Malta is smaller in population and area. Most residents of Luxembourg city, and almost half the residents of the whole country, are non-Luxembourgers. They're mostly from other EU countries.Luxembourg borders Belgium and, moreThe View From Luxembourg, Where A 'Brexit' Is Unthinkablehttp://wcbe.org/post/view-luxembourg-where-brexit-unthinkable
93263 as http://wcbe.orgMon, 20 Jun 2016 18:01:00 +0000The View From Luxembourg, Where A 'Brexit' Is UnthinkableRobert SiegelWhen Karriem Saleem El-Amin went to prison in 1971 for the murder of Baltimore grocer David Lermer during a robbery, he was an 18-year-old killer named William Collins.In 2013, El-Amin left prison after serving 42 years, 3 months and 3 days. Today, he is 60 years old, back in the city of his youth, converted to Islam, subdued by age and often baffled by the experience of freedom.Little things, like dining in a restaurant, can be disorienting."I'm full, I'm enjoying the company of my family. And at some time, I guess maybe 30 or 40 minutes had passed, I'm feeling uneasy," El-Amin says. "Because I'm so used to having The Man telling me it's time to go."El-Amin is one of more than 130 prisoners serving life sentences for violent crimes in the state of Maryland who were freed on probation following a landmark ruling by the state's highest court. As a condition of their release, the prisoners received social services and other special preparations. And so far, none of them has re-offendedFrom A Life Term To Life On The Outside: When Aging Felons Are Freedhttp://wcbe.org/post/life-term-life-outside-when-aging-felons-are-freed
87642 as http://wcbe.orgThu, 18 Feb 2016 20:32:00 +0000From A Life Term To Life On The Outside: When Aging Felons Are FreedRobert SiegelCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit KELLY MCEVERS, HOST: Our co-host, Robert Siegel, has been in New Hampshire all week with the other journalists, pundits and campaign staffers who descend on the state every four years, and he's been captivated by some of the other visitors.ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: I'm thinking of people like the Ryan family, of Dallas, Texas. I met Dann and Anna Ryan and their kids four years ago when we were all outside a barn where Rick Santorum was speaking to a standing-room only crowd. Dann's a lawyer. Anna used to work for Samsung in her native Korea. They weren't in New Hampshire to campaign. They weren't working, and they can't vote here. They were there to look, listen and learn, and their children took a lot of pictures. Like baseball fans who go to spring training, they came to see the game played up close, to know the players without a scorecard. Well, flash-forward to Tuesday morning of this week at Chris Christie's headquarters.ANNA RYAN: Hello, Mr.Tourists Flock To New Hampshire For Front Row Seat To Presidential Politicshttp://wcbe.org/post/tourists-flock-new-hampshire-front-row-seat-presidential-politics
87018 as http://wcbe.orgFri, 05 Feb 2016 21:54:00 +0000Tourists Flock To New Hampshire For Front Row Seat To Presidential PoliticsRobert SiegelFor Republicans who aren't named Ted Cruz or Donald Trump, the goal in New Hampshire's upcoming primary is to finish second — at best.That's the best outcome the establishment Republican contenders can hope for following this week's Iowa caucuses, where Cruz and Trump topped the field in a tight three-way race with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.It's a far cry from the beginning of this campaign cycle, when Jeb Bush was the acknowledged Republican front-runner and had the backing of what was presumed to be a source of power within the GOP, the Republican establishment. Now, the power of the establishment is in question, and when Bush campaigns, he acknowledges membership in that class with some good humor.It's a matter of pedigree."I'm part of the establishment because I am Barbara Bush's son," he said at a recent town hall meeting in Manchester, N.H. "Well, I'm not worried about that."For Bush, and at least two other GOP contenders, it's also about having been a governor, and about havingHeading Into New Hampshire, GOP 'Front-Runners' Are Anything Buthttp://wcbe.org/post/heading-new-hampshire-gop-front-runners-are-anything
86966 as http://wcbe.orgThu, 04 Feb 2016 23:18:00 +0000Heading Into New Hampshire, GOP 'Front-Runners' Are Anything ButRobert SiegelWith New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary less than a week away, the publisher of the state's largest paper, the Union Leader, told NPR's Robert Siegel his assessment of how the Republican presidential race has played out thus far in a single word: "Extraordinary."And the reason he describes the GOP campaign that way boils down to Donald Trump, who, despite coming in second in the Iowa caucuses this week, enjoys a double-digit advantage in most New Hampshire polls."It's extraordinary, because of the Trump factor and the other candidates trying to vie against Trump," said Joe McQuaid, who has worked at the Union Leader for a half century."Trump has overturned the table," he added.McQuaid's dealings with the billionaire businessman have been toxic. In an editorial in December, McQuaid compared Trump to the bully "Biff" from the movie Back to the Future.New Hampshire Public Radio's Josh Rogers last month described the feud this way:"The hostility is mutual, especially since theNew Hampshire Newspaper Publisher: 'Trump Has Overturned The Table'http://wcbe.org/post/new-hampshire-newspaper-publisher-trump-has-overturned-table
86907 as http://wcbe.orgWed, 03 Feb 2016 21:44:00 +0000New Hampshire Newspaper Publisher: 'Trump Has Overturned The Table'Robert SiegelWhat do you get from a college education? And, given today's eye-popping costs, is it worth it? Through this academic year, we're following a group of college seniors from Montgomery County, Md., and asking them those questions. Among those students are three women on the verge of real life.Alejandra Gonzalez is an in-state student at the University of Maryland, in College Park. She's one of 27,000 undergraduates. To help pay for college, she works at the admissions office.There are lots of big classes at Maryland, but Gonzalez says she doesn't mind. She's not shy and she says professors are approachable. A political science major, she says one of her favorite courses is Constitutional law, taught by lecturer Michael Spivey. She guessed there are about 50 students in Con Law: Actually, there are 70. They meet in three sections and discuss course work there.Gonzalez is a satisfied customer at Maryland. Since we met in August, her focus has sharpened: Next stop? Probably a year away from3 College Seniors Contemplate Their Appointment With The Real Worldhttp://wcbe.org/post/3-college-seniors-contemplate-their-appointment-real-world
85141 as http://wcbe.orgThu, 24 Dec 2015 21:18:00 +00003 College Seniors Contemplate Their Appointment With The Real WorldRobert SiegelThroughout this academic year, we're following a group of students who graduated from high school a few years ago in Montgomery County, Md., just outside Washington, D.C. We're asking about the choices they've made and about the cost and value of higher education. Today: Two young men who took very different paths and who both find themselves chasing ambitions and dreams in the arts, in New York City. Both are banking on their talent. But they're also pursuing high-priced educational programs to refine that talent. Our first student followed his bliss here, to prepare to become a music producer, at New York University's Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. When we met Evan Bonham back in August, at his family's home in Bethesda, Md., he was planning to graduate after the fall semester. Since then, he has changed his mind: He has an internship, a senior capstone, to finish. His project now includes launching his own record label, and he has decided to stay on as a student through2 Students Hope Their Investment In Arts Education Will Pay Off http://wcbe.org/post/2-students-hope-their-investment-arts-education-will-pay
85096 as http://wcbe.orgWed, 23 Dec 2015 21:07:00 +00002 Students Hope Their Investment In Arts Education Will Pay Off Robert SiegelGoing to college today is a very different experience than it once was. The cost has soared, and the great recession cut into many of the assets that were supposed to pay for it. This week All Things Considered is talking with young people about the value of school and about their choice of college.What do you get from a college education? And, given today's eye-popping costs, is it worth it? We're following a group of college seniors through this academic year and asking them those questions.At the University of Maryland's College Park campus, just outside Washington, D.C., we caught up with two of the seniors we met last September: Rhys Hall and Karie Cheung. Like all the students we're following, they are both from Montgomery County, Md., just outside Washington, D.C. As two undergraduates among 27,000 students, they had never met. So, we introduced them.Rhys Hall will be the first college graduate in his family after the spring semester. He's African-American and the son of aWhat's Next For 2 Seniors Wrapping Up At A Big State University? http://wcbe.org/post/college-seniors-was-state-university-worth-price
85049 as http://wcbe.orgTue, 22 Dec 2015 22:11:00 +0000What's Next For 2 Seniors Wrapping Up At A Big State University? Robert SiegelCopyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: Now to a filmmaker in Paris. Max Salomon is an American who lives near where several of last Friday's attacks took place. Max has been helping us understand the impact of those attacks on his neighborhood. Earlier this week, he brought us to the restaurants where people had lost their lives, and the other night, he ventured out again, not sure of what he'd find.MAX SALOMON: It was about 2:30 in the morning. I had been working on something that sort of not gotten done. And I went for a little walk, and it was sort of drizzly, wet, Parisian rain. And I end up here at this corner for whatever reason. And when I got here, there was a different mood the place. It wasn't the people that have come to, you know, to lay flowers and put candles and, you know, sort of the general Parisian. These were people that at 2:30 in middle of the night just really just couldn't sleep, I think.And right here, just sort of facing this, there's a'There's A Whole Other Hole': American Filmmaker Reflects On Loss In Parishttp://wcbe.org/post/theres-whole-other-hole-american-filmmaker-reflects-loss-paris
83581 as http://wcbe.orgThu, 19 Nov 2015 22:12:00 +0000'There's A Whole Other Hole': American Filmmaker Reflects On Loss In ParisRobert SiegelOver the weekend, I watched as crowds in the hundreds gathered in Paris' 10th arrondissement at the killing sites: a few neighborhood bistros like Le Carillon, and a Cambodian restaurant, Le Petit Cambodge — Little Cambodia.The crowds moved quietly, like museumgoers, as they observed the memorial bouquets and candles or added to them with a hushed reverence.There are bullet holes in the windows and walls, and the scenes of disorder inside were evidence of the chaos Friday night: beer glasses, still full, on the bar. A single shoe on the floor. Shards of glass.One American resident of this neighborhood calls this Paris' Brooklyn: a gentrified, former working-class quarter, still affordable, racially diverse — with people from North Africa, eastern Europe, even the U.S. It's full of young couples, some pushing strollers.On a Friday night, the tables would be full inside the eateries, and on the sidewalks outside them, too. Diners on the pavement outside one restaurant would face those atAmid Mourning, Life In Paris Goes Onhttp://wcbe.org/post/amid-mourning-life-paris-goes
83382 as http://wcbe.orgMon, 16 Nov 2015 21:26:00 +0000Amid Mourning, Life In Paris Goes OnRobert SiegelTwenty years ago, an Israeli extremist shot dead the country's Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and left the country, and people all over the world to wonder: What if?What if Rabin, the general turned cautious peacemaker, had lived?Rabin signed the Oslo Accords with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat at the White House in September 1993, launching the first full-fledged peace effort after decades of conflict between the two sides."We are not alone here on this soil, in this land. And so, we are sharing this good earth today with the Palestinian people in order to choose life," Rabin said at the White House in September 1995, when he signed a followup agreement with Arafat known as Oslo II.The Oslo Accords, so named because they were originally negotiated in Norway's capital, were intended to deliver security to Israel and self-rule to the Palestinians.The accords had their detractors and there was no guarantee they would succeed. For the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, it was a sellout.20 Years Later, The Question Lingers: What If Yitzhak Rabin Had Lived?http://wcbe.org/post/20-years-later-question-lingers-what-if-yitzhak-rabin-had-lived
82754 as http://wcbe.orgTue, 03 Nov 2015 21:28:00 +000020 Years Later, The Question Lingers: What If Yitzhak Rabin Had Lived?Robert SiegelImagine you had the option of going to a top state university on a full ride or a prestigious Ivy League for about $20,000 a year. Would it be a hard decision? What would you choose?Four years ago, Becca Arbacher had to make that decision. She chose Columbia in New York City over the University of Michigan.And she's glad she did."Being at Columbia has offered me some really incredible opportunities that I wouldn't have otherwise," says Arbacher. "It's kind of impossible for me to guess what my experience would have been like at Michigan."This week, we're meeting students and families that made different decisions about college. Some chose the big state school while others went with the most popular option: community college.Arbacher is among the minority: Around 20 percent chose a private, and more expensive, college education.In her case, the financial burden fell to her widowed mother, Judith. But in other families, loans make an expensive school possible.Evan Bonham selected NYU'sThe Perks Of A Private College (Hint: It's Not The Cost)http://wcbe.org/post/perks-private-college-hint-its-not-cost
80158 as http://wcbe.orgThu, 10 Sep 2015 20:49:00 +0000The Perks Of A Private College (Hint: It's Not The Cost)Robert SiegelGoing to college today is a very different experience than it once was. The cost has soared, and the great recession cut into many of the assets that were supposed to pay for it. This week, All Things Considered is talking with young people — and in some cases their parents — about the value of school and about their choice of what kind of college to attend.Today, we'll hear from students who chose the most popular option, one that has risen steadily since the great recession hit: community college.In their case, it's Montgomery College. Close to home, highly regarded and affordable, it is a sensible choice for students who want the benefits of a higher education without the baggage of debt.We went to campus on a day before classes started to meet up with students on three very different paths through community college. Copyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: This week, we're introducing you to some college students whose experiences illustrate important questionsTime Versus Debt: Why These Students Chose Community Collegehttp://wcbe.org/post/time-versus-debt-why-these-students-chose-community-college
80099 as http://wcbe.orgWed, 09 Sep 2015 19:48:00 +0000Time Versus Debt: Why These Students Chose Community College